I admit to being no fan of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio who achieved the distinction of a zero popularity polling with a 58 percent unpopularity rating in New York city for his presidential run. De Blasio failed to generate support despite his effort to unleash class warfare with such pledges as “we will tax the hell out of the rich.” Now, de Blasio appears to have gone full for Gosplan with his call for nationalizing certain industries to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus. Capitalism again appears to be the problem; fueling the spread of corona by preventing decisive action. Call it coronalism and de Blasio is here to end it.
In speaking with MSNBC’s AM Joy, host Joy Reid, de Blasio declared “[t]his is a case for a nationalization, literally a nationalization, of crucial factories and industries that could produce the medical supplies to prepare this country for what we need.”
One only has to look at Venezuela and Cuba to see how wonderfully efficient and productive state-run industries can be. Moreover, the companies enlisted by the White House appear to have moved with remarkable creativity and alacrity in facing the crisis.
I have long admitted to having a strong bias toward competitive markets and a resistance to government regulations and control. I tend to be socially liberal and fiscally conservative. Yet, De Blasio is the inverse; an example of someone who fulfills every stereotype of a liberal politician who turns habitually to taxation and nationalization as initial responses to public policy questions. By the way, countries like China and Iran are not known for being adverse to state controls.
Commissariats for industry will be just about a usual in combatting Corona as requiring screen windows for submarines. Before New York introduces its de Blassisariats, it may want to look around the world for successful nationalized industries.
Jonathan: Trump just invoked the Defense Production Act (DPA) to force companies in the medical supply industry to ramp up production of badly needed ventilators, masks and other necessary devices to fight the coronavirus. Trump first balked at the idea of invoking the DPA because he didn’t take the threat seriously enough and is generally opposed to government interference with “free markets”. Trump should have invoked the DPA weeks ago because hospitals are in dire need of all the resources needed to deal with this crisis. Now Trump is doing what NY Mayor de Blasio has called for. You criticized de Blasio’s proposal because you have a “strong bias toward competitive markets and a resistance to government regulations and control” Well, “competitive markets” have failed to provide adequate supplies of all products needed to fight COVID-19 so government is taking charge. So move over Jonathan, you are late to the party! Who would think Trump would ever go this far?
Yes I think Turkey wrote this article prematurely without knowing enough facts. Government and industry can work together. It is not an either or as I’m afraid Turley suggests.
I always thought there was something ‘wrong’ with Blasio and now we know it. He’s an out and out socialist liberal we just didn’t know what kind. Does it matter? International Socialist, National Socialist, Regressive Socialist hiding behind the name of Democrat as a member of the neo aristocraptic DINO establishment seeking to re-enslave the working class and rip them off from his throne in the ruling class. Classless society? Not even close just another ‘divine’ appointee from his Marxist Leninist god.
Anonymous, Cuba pays their doctors like they pay their military.
“Independent Bob”: I don’t normally respond to commentators of Turley’s columns. You probably already know my political persuasion. But that said here are some facts. Cuba is a very poor country. And you are probably correct that “Cuba pays its doctors like they pay their military”. Doctor salaries in Cuba are as low as $60 dollars a month. But despite its poverty the Cuban government operates one of the world’s most advanced medical care systems in the world. According to a Bloomberg 2019 “Healthiest Country” index Cuba had a health grade of 74.66 while the US ranked below Cuba at 73.02. As mentioned in my earlier comment Cuba also has an advanced pharmaceutical industry with teams of doctors around the world helping other poor countries treat infectious diseases. Cuba’s industry has already developed a anti-coronavirus vaccine that is being used successfully in China and elsewhere. We are no where close to developing such a vaccine here in the US- the wealthiest country in the world! So before you throw stones at Cuba consider the facts. By the way, what is the state of your health insurance–if you are fortunate enough to be able to afford it? If, forbid, you were to develop the symptoms of the coronavirus could you immediately go to your doctor and be tested? Probably not because we still don’t have enough testing kits. To me that’s unacceptable! And you know there are millions of our fellow Americans who have no health insurance, or if they do they are faced with a high deductible. So even though they have the symptoms of the virus they don’t go to the doctor and then spread the infection to others. That’s also unacceptable! Sometimes we allow our political bias to color our objectivity. COVID-19 doesn’t care about politics. This world-wide pandemic threatens us all regardless of our political persuasion. We need a health care system in this country that treats all Americans equally-not on their ability to pay- and that is organized and prepared to deal with health threats like COVID-19. Wouldn’t you agree?
I’ve heard all this liberal happy crap before. They push for clean renewable energy. So 120 wind turbines are proposed for Nantucket sound off Cape Cod. The super wealthy liberals on Cape Cod and the islands lost it. Between losing there picturesque views and having to sail there yachts around this large windmill farm this just couldn’t happen. The main reason for locating a windmill farm on Nantucket Sound is it is one of the locations in the US that is continually windy. Not in my back yard is is a liberal mantra.
NIMBY is equal opportunity and thrives in conservative mindset. I live on the island with the first offshore wind project in the country. 5 windmills, so it’s on the smaller side. Proud to be from RI in general, from my island specifically.
Pro baseball in Cuba? So which Cuban baseball ” professional” gets paid a million dollars a year?
Anonymous, would you rather be a practicing physician in Cuba or the USA? All socialist want the people to
live a collective lifestyle, only they don’t want that lifestyle for themselves.
George says @ March 16, 2020 at 4:00 PM:
“Understanding the presumed, imminent existential threat by COVID-19 to the U.S. economy and population…”
The population of the USA is estimated to be 330 million. With any luck the virus will wipe out 75% of the population of the USA which would equate to 247 million leaving the USA population to be about 82 million. Instead the most dire estimates predict that 1.2 million of the USA will die which means we will be left with 99% of the do-nothing, self-loathing, detritus that America has come to be.
One can only hope that George’s is correct. Our country is in desperate need of a do-over. Bring on the meteors to wipe out the globe and give Earth a chance to survive in spite of humans.
Alas George is nutz and wrong
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The Misleading Arithmetic of COVID-19 Death Rates
https://www.cato.org/blog/misleading-arithmetic-covid-19-death-rates
As the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom, explained in his February 28 briefing, “Most people will have mild disease and get better without needing any special care.” Several studies have found that about 80% of all the COVID-19 cases have relatively minor symptoms which end without severe illness and therefore remain unreported.
A Chinese study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, February 20, found a “case‐fatality rate” of 2.3%, meaning 1,023 died out of 44,672 cases. But the total sample in that study (72,314) included an additional 27,642 non‐confirmed cases, and simply including cases (let alone unreported minor cases) would have reduced the fatality rate to 1.4%. China‐based estimates are largely confined to cases with the most severe symptoms, so it should be no surprise that the reported death rate among severe cases is much higher than it would be if the data also included “most people” who “have a mild disease and get better.” The risk of infecting more people is also more severe in China data, since severe cases are concentrated and transmitted in hospitals. This can also lead to overstated estimates of how many people are infected by someone with COVID-19, including the WHO “reproduction number” estimate of 1.4–2.5, which is mainly based on evidence from China.
the number of unreported cases of infections by the virus are in the stratosphere. The numerator (those infected) divided the denominator (those infected) results in a prevalence of less than 1% as reported by Dr Anthony Fauci. Dr Fauci prefers that we over-react now to prevent a higher numerator, all of which is lost on the screaming hysteria driven news wh8res. Come election day Americans will have yet another set of data points to support everyone’s contention: the liberal news media profit on the backs of anxious Americans
a pox on them
The numerator (those infected) divided the denominator (those NOT infected) results in a prevalence of less than 1% as reported by Dr Anthony Fauci.
Just noticed the use of Corona in this post.
No, Jonathan Turley, Corona is a brand of Mexican beer. The virus is coronavirus. Notice that there is no space in the name.
Incidentally, the particular coronavirus is named SARS-CoV-2. It causes the disease called COVID-19.
Better known as the Hillary Clinton, Obama gang & their Chicom Financial Backer’s Virus.
But I won’t get in their way as they’ve already burnt their bridge back this time.
Please Ck your sources next time.
Independent Bob, there are already such:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_in_Cuba
I’ve felt for quit a while now that there should be a professional baseball team in Havana. It just seems like a natural thing to happen. Problem is, nobody has any money to buy tickets to the game. Not even the doctors.
Another, this not-for-profit, is the Bonneville Power Administration, owned by the USA federal government.
Here is a successful company entirely owned by the Swedish government:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vattenfall
Understanding the presumed, imminent existential threat by COVID-19 to the U.S. economy and population, Congress must be considered to have the power to tax for the duration of the threat, for any means or measures necessary to assure national survival, as “…general Welfare…” per Article 1, Section 8, as national survival comports well with constitutional “…general Welfare.”
Well now that’s a rather bizarre statement. And who are they going to tax, those folks who just lost their jobs and their 401(k)s? Or the businesses now shuttering their doors? Or multinationals losing money and seeking bailouts?
Maybe they should tax you; do you, Sir, have anything we can tax?
Congress cannot tax for the entire American welfare state as its components consist of individual or specific welfare, not “…general Welfare,…” which is defined as ALL WELL PROCEED and prescribed in Article 1, Section 8. If Congress cannot tax for a law or program, that law or program cannot be passed or implemented. De Blasio recommends dictatorial nationalization. I recommend the SCOTUS “…declare all acts contrary to the manifest tenor of the Constitution void” and, in this case, however, the law, program and supporting taxation is not “contrary” and is, therefore, appropriate and constitutional. Congress may tax for measures addressing this existential threat and those measures may be implemented.